The health benefits of regularly incorporating cardiorespiratory exercise into your regimen are plentiful, but according to the American Heart Association, there are also risks when participating in vigorous activity. Due to the increased demand on your heart and lungs during cardiorespiratory exercise, heart issues are a possibility, in both young and old individuals. In addition, the increased stress on your body can lead to injuries.

Heart Problems

Individuals who have previous heart conditions do have an increased risk of heart attack when they’re participating in cardiorespiratory exercise. These heart issues mostly commonly occur in people who have heart disease and in those people who don’t exercise on a regular basis. Problems occur during vigorous cardiorespiratory exercise because of clogged arteries and their restriction on blood flow. Always visit your medical professional prior to starting a cardiorespiratory workout program, especially if you smoke, are overweight, or have a family history of heart disease.

Overuse Injuries

Those who regularly participate in cardiorespiratory activities are at an increased risk of musculoskeletal injuries such as stress fractures, shin splints and plantar fasciitis. These types of problems occur because of the increased load placed on your muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones. Over time, the stress can cause irritation and inflammation. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the more you exercise, the greater the risk of suffering a musculoskeletal injury. Reduce the risk of these types of problems by wearing appropriate footwear when exercising and trying to work out on softer surfaces like grass or turf. When embarking on a cardiorespiratory workout program, begin at a low intensity and duration and kick up your work load progressively over time to allow your body to adapt to the stress.

Acute Injuries

When exercising, there is also the chance that you’ll suffer an acute injury. For example, if running outside, you could step on an uneven sidewalk or a hole in the grass and twist your ankle or knee. Indoor exercise is also not without risks: If running on the treadmill or exercising on another piece of stationary cardio equipment, you could lose your balance and fall. Muscular strains can occur if your muscles aren’t properly warmed up before your workout. Take the time to warm up before exercising and stay alert during your training session to reduce your risk of injury.

Young Athletes

There have been some cases of young athletes who have suffered heart attacks when exercising due to hereditary or congenital cardiovascular abnormalities. These young people, under 40 years of age, most commonly have hearts that are too large or possess previously undetected problems with their coronary arteries. Heart attacks in young people rarely happen. The American Heart Association notes that just one in 133,000 high school and college men and one in 769,000 high school and college women are victims from sports-related nontraumatic deaths.

About the Author

Kim Nunley has been screenwriting and working as an online health and fitness writer since 2005. She’s had multiple short screenplays produced and her feature scripts have placed at the Austin Film Festival. Prior to writing full-time, she worked as a strength coach, athletic coach and college instructor. She holds a master's degree in kinesiology from California State University, Fullerton.